Enewsletter, Issue 6, December 2015

eNewsletter, Issue 6, December 2015

Welcome to the sixth issue of the National Plan e-Newsletter. This edition celebrates our collective achievements in 2015.

2015 has seen the start of a national conversation on how we can stop violence against women happening in the first place.

Over the past 12 months we have witnessed the extraordinary efforts of all governments, service providers, and the broader Australian community coming together to address the issue of violence against women and their children.

Across the country, we have been taking a stand against violence through community forums, marches, training programmes, local campaigns, candlelight vigils and a range of other initiatives. Unprecedented media attention on violence against women and their children has also played a significant role in shifting and intensifying the national conversation around the issue.

We would like to thank everyone for their support and efforts for implementingthe
National Plan and ongoing efforts to ensure Australian women and their children can live free from violence.

Table of Contents

What has been happening?

Feature stories

Our Watch national media engagement

Building Safe Communities for Women grants

Perpetrator Interventions

National campaign to reduce violence against women

1800RESPECT Online Toolkit

National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH)

Updates from around the country

Highlights from Queensland

Highlights from Tasmania

Highlights from South Australia

Highlights from Western Australia

Highlights from the ACT

Highlights from Victoria

Highlights from New South Wales

Dates for your diary

Have your say!

Do you need help?

What has been happening?

28 SeptemberOur Watch launch of 'you can’t undo violence' national campaign

10 NovemberLaunch of Change the story: A shared framework for the primary prevention of violence against women and their children in Australia

23 NovemberRelease of report A high price to pay: the economic case for preventing violence against women

24 NovemberMedia Stand Up Against Violence

25 NovemberStart of16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign

25 NovemberWhite Ribbon Day

25 NovemberInternational Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

2 DecemberInternational Day for the Abolition of Slavery

3 DecemberInternational Day of People with Disability

10 DecemberWorld human rights day

10 DecemberEnd of 16 Days of Activism

Feature stories

Our Watch national media engagement

In 2015, violence against women dominated the headlines as never before.As Australian of the Year and Our Watch Ambassador Rosie Batty said, the issue is now “out of the shadows and into the light”.

This year Our Watch established the National media engagement project(NME).
This project harnesses the power of the media to aid in the prevention of violence against women and their children in Australia.

The Australian media play a vital role in raising awareness of the scale of the problem, andshape community attitudes – who is responsible, what leads up to the violence and what we can do to prevent it.

Research, commissioned by Our Watch and Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS), showedthe way the media represented the issue of violence against women:

• lacked an informed analysis of the links between the proven drivers of violence against women - gender inequality
• blamed victims of violence; and
• lacked links to appropriate services for people needing help.

In the worst case scenarios, some media were found to perpetuate the attitudes that gave rise to a culture of silence (the traditional view that domestic violence is a ‘private matter’) or minimised or excused violence against women.

This is changing. In 2016, the media (supported by the NME initiative) is increasingly taking a leadership role in informing and sustaining a national conversation about how to prevent violence against women, made clear through the high quality entries submitted to the inaugural 2015 Our Watch Awards administered by the Walkley Foundation.

The Awards were launched by Rosie Batty earlier in the year with a live address to the National Press Club.

Following on from the awards, the Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull hosted a “Media Stand Up Against Violence” event in November 2015, attended by the entire Australian Press Gallery, calling on the media to adopt the Our Watch Reporting guidelines.

More informed media commentary will help create a common, community-wide message of respect and non-violence.

Building Safe Communities for Women grants

On 22 December, the Minister for Social Services, Christian Porter announced the28 successful applicants for the Building Safe Communities for Women grants. The grants are designed to support communities to develop and implement practical solutions to reduce violence against women and their children in their own community.

Funding of over $4 millionwas invested by the Commonwealth Government toprovide financial support over two years (2015-16 and 2016-17) to organisationsto create practical solutions to address violence against women in their community.

Of the 28 successful applicants there are six projects being funded in New South Wales, five in Victoria, three in Queensland, four in Western Australia, three in the Northern Territory, three in South Australia, two in Tasmania, one in the ACT and a cross border project (Bairnsdale in Victoria, Palmerston in the Northern Territory and Kununurra in Western Australia).

There are 12 projects that focus on domestic violence, six projects focused on Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities, nine focused on Indigenous communities, four projects in regional areas, four in remote communities and two projects targeting schools.

These grants arean initiative under the Second Action Plan 2013-2016 of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children (2010-2022).

Perpetrator Interventions

To keep women and their children safe we must hold men who use violence to account.

The perpetrator accountability system includes a range of interventions that governments and community services use to respond to identified acts of domestic, family and sexual violence. These include interventions made by police, corrections agencies, legal and justice responses and men’s behavioural change programmes.

Often women and their children have a lack of confidence in the system to support and protect them when they report domestic, family and sexual violence. Furthermore, inadequate and poorly targeted perpetrator interventions are a persistent barrier to achieving accountability and lasting behaviour change.

In 2015 the Commonwealth Government, states and territories and partner organisations have been working hard to better understand perpetrator interventions. They have also been working together to ensure interventions are consistently applied between the jurisdictions.

Research

On 9 December 2015, Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) released thestate of knowledge paper on perpetrator interventions in Australia. An Australian first, this paper maps the pathways and interventions for perpetrators of domestic/family violence and sexual assault through civil and criminal legal systems.

It also examines existing response and service systems available to perpetrators and will help to build on the evidence base to undertake further research and inform policy development.

The four perpetrator interventions research priorities identified as part of this paper are:

• system effectiveness
• effectiveness of interventions
• models to address diversity of perpetrators; and
• the specific needs of Indigenous perpetrators and communities.

Research grants will be available to explore these priorities, with a call for applications expected in early 2016. Interested parties can subscribe to ANROWS updates to receive notice about these grants.

National Outcome Standards for Perpetrator Interventions

On 11 December COAG endorsed the National Outcome Standards for Perpetrator Interventions (national outcome standards). Theyestablish a nationally consistent approach to holding perpetrators of domestic, family and sexual violence to account.

The national outcome standards will help governments improve the systems and services that intervene with men who use violence against women. Public reporting against the national standards will help identify where our interventions are working well and where they need improvement.

The standards are based on extensive consultation with government and non-government sector experts.

For a copy of the national outcome standards go to theNational Plan website.

National campaign to reduce violence against women

Development of the national campaign to reduce violence against women and their children is progressing. Developmental research has been conducted to determine the focus of the campaign.

The report was released by the Prime Minister on 25 November 2015. It shows that although most Australians agree domestic violence is wrong, too often we blame the victim, excuse men and minimise disrespectful behaviours and instances of gender inequality, specifically:

• from an early age, boys and girls begin to believe there are reasons and situations that can make disrespectful behaviour acceptable
• girls question whether the trigger for the behaviour is potentially their fault
• boys tell each other it was a bit of a joke - it didn’t mean anything
• adults accept the behaviour when they say ‘it takes two to tango’or ‘boys will be boys’
• we think the cost of doing something is too high –as parents, we worry about embarrassing our child, or even ourselves. As teachers or coaches, we’re not sure how far to go; and
• without realising it, we’re making gender inequality and disrespectful behaviour acceptable.

The Commonwealth continues to work closely with states and territories to develop the campaign, which will focus on how people and communities can positively influence the attitudes of young people towards respectful relationships and gender equality. It will include advertising, public relations, media, community and corporate engagement, and education.

It is expected to launch in early 2016.

1800RESPECT Online Toolkit

During the 16 Days of Activism 1800RESPECT released an online toolkit for frontline workers to help them better recognise the signs of sexual assault, domestic and family violence and empower them to respond well.

During the launch, the Prime Minister of Australia,Malcolm Turnbull, Minister for Social Service, Christian Porter, Minister for Women, Michaelia Cash, and Rosie Batty encouraged peak bodies, organisations and frontline workers across Australia to download the toolkit. You can view the Prime Minister’s video message.

Developed in consultation with experts and funded by the Department of Social Services, the Frontline Workers Toolkit has information on good practice, webinars and educational videos with specialists, useful resources and apps.

The online toolkit also includes:

• a resilience training programme to help ensure staff take care of themselves, and
• resources for working with women with a disability, working with LGBTI communities, working with women going to court, and violence in times of disaster.

Workers can access the full toolkit, or tailor a toolkit according to their learning or development needs. New resources will continue to be added to the toolkit throughout 2016. To download the Frontline Workers Toolkit visit here.

National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH)

Homelessness is a complex issue that affects many Australians, requiring a long-term and systematic effort across government, sectors and the community. Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness in this country, and women, children and young people are particularly vulnerable.

The Commonwealth Government is providing $230 million to fund frontline homelessness services over two years under the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH). The 2015-17 NPAH commenced on 1 July 2015 and the Government has made frontline services focusing on women and children experiencing domestic and family violence and homeless youth a funding priority.

All state and territory First Ministers have signed the Agreement and agreed to match the Commonwealth’s funding contribution. In total, under the NPAH funding of nearly
$250 million per year is being directed to homelessness services around the country. Nationally, over half of the NPAH funding is being directed to homelessness services focused on the priority areas of domestic and family violence and youth homelessness, with almost 250 services assisting clients who have experienced domestic or family violence.

States and territories retain responsibility for determining where services are located, which service providers are contracted, and the amount of funding each service provider receives.

The NPAH funding, of up to $115 million each year, is on top of the approximately
$1.3 billion per annum provided by the Commonwealth to states and territories through the National Affordable Housing Agreement (NAHA), which includes around $260 million for homelessness services, and can be used to fund capital projects including women’s shelters and crisis accommodation.

For more information on the Commonwealth Government’s role in housing assistance and homelessness go to the Department of Social Services webpage (

Updates from around the country

Highlights from Queensland

Queensland’s first Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence

On 7 December, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced that an expanded Cabinet team,comprisingof 53% female representation, will drive the Government’s broad economic and social policy agenda. This Cabinet team also included Queensland’s first Minister for the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence, Shannon Fentiman MP. Ms Fentiman will add domestic and family violence prevention to her existing communities, women, youth and child safety portfolios, coordinating the Queensland Government’s roll-out of domestic and family violence reforms.

Domestic and Family Violence Reforms

On 18 August, the Queensland Government released its response to the Report of the Domestic and Family Violence Taskforce, Not Now, Not Ever: Putting an end to Domestic and Family Violence in Queensland (the Taskforce Report) accepting all 140 recommendations. Funding of $31.3 million over four years will be invested to implement the high priority initiatives in the report to tackle domestic and family violence.

Public consultation on a draft Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Strategy, outlining a 10 year collaborative plan of action has now closed. The final strategy will be announced soon on the Government’s End Domestic and Family Violence website.

Implementation of the reforms will be overseen by an independent Domestic and Family Violence Implementation Council chaired by Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO. The Council’s membership includes representation from key sectors in the community and government members.

Legislation

On 15 October 2015, two Bills were passed in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, the Coroners (Domestic and Family Violence Death Review and Advisory Board) Amendment Bill 2015 and the Criminal Law (Domestic Violence) Amendment Bill 2015. These Bills respond to key Taskforce Report, including increasing the maximum penalties for offenders who breach a domestic violence orders and allowing victims ‘special witness’ status to offer victims greater protection and support in court.

The Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act Amendment Bill 2015 was passed by the Queensland Parliament on 3 December 2015. It makes it mandatory for Magistrates to consider ‘ouster conditions’. These allow victims of domestic and family violence to remain in the home and force perpetrators to leave, where it is safe and with appropriate safety upgrades. The bill also introduced changes to reduce the chance of ‘cross applications’ being used to frustrate or slow the court process. A copy of these bills can be found at

Specialist domestic violence court

A trial of a specialist domestic violence court has commenced at Southport. This court is administered by magistrates with specialised expertise in domestic and family violence. The outcomes of this trial will inform future law and justice issues to be addressed as part of the reform agenda. In addition, funding of $1.1 million in 2015-16 has also been allocated to expand the Domestic and Family Violence Duty Lawyer Service to 14 locations state wide through Legal Aid Queensland.

Prioritising victim safety

The Premier announced that operational policies will be revised to prioritise victim safety. This includes the reinstatement ofa State Domestic and Family Violence Coordinator (Coordinator) with the Queensland Police Service.The Coordinator will work with district coordinators to drive direction and policy. Changes have also been made to the way police stations handle individual domestic violence complaints. These include:

• priority attention for anyone who attends the front counter of a police station for domestic violence issues
• the need for Police supervisors to conduct mandatory quality checks on all
  over-the-counter requests to apply for a domestic violence order; and

• the urgent roll-out of 300 body-worn cameras for police on the Gold Coast, to assist in gathering evidence.

Integrated response to domestic and family violence

Work has commenced across government and with the community to roll out integrated responses to domestic and family violence. These will be trialled in three sites andinclude the development of a common risk assessment framework, information sharing provisions and multi-agency responses to victims at high risk of violence. The first trial will be in Logan/Beenleigh with a further trial to be implemented in a regional area as well as a discrete Indigenous community. There will be close collaboration with the local communities selected in designing the specific models to be piloted. The outcomes of the trials will inform future implementation of the integrated service delivery models across the State.

The Wider Agenda

Public consultation is currently wrapping up on:

• the development of a Queensland Violence Against Women Prevention Plan which takes the government’s commitment to address domestic and family violence further by addressing other forms of violence against women.
• a Queensland Women's Strategy to be launched during Queensland Women’s Week in March 2016, outlining the Queensland Government vision for women and girls with an emphasis on gender equality and related issues across safety, economic security, health and wellbeing, and leadership and participation.

Sector Highlights

The Ending Violence Against Women in Queensland (EVAWQ) peak body launched in October 2015. It provides a united and state-wide voice across the areas of sexual violence, women’s health, and domestic and family violence services.